New Releases by Libby Hathorn

There was a child, The sweetest ever, Until she learned these words: ''NO! NEVER!'' Georgie is a sweet little girl who always makes her parents happy... until she discovers one powerful phrase: No! Never! It suddenly becomes her answer to every request, from tidying up her toys to going to bed. Her parents are at their wits end, but what happens when they decide to try saying No! Never! themselves? A lovely, lively look at the Terrible Twos (or Threes, or Fours, or Fives...) from mother-daughter team Libby Hathorn and Lisa Hathorn-Jarman, with debut illustrator Mel Pearce. Perfect for any parent dealing with tantrums, defiant behaviour or communication issues.

Let''s dream of what we can become, Mother Earth, I am your son. Food and shelter, climate, water, Mother Earth, yes, I''m your daughter. Mother Earth is a warm, funny, beautiful collection of nature poems. Written with great sensitivity by multi-award-winning poet and author Libby Hathorn and with superb illustrations by talented artist and illustrator Christina Booth, this is a book to treasure and to celebrate our precious environment - for kids and families, students and teachers alike.

A collection of coastal poetry with photographs of Sydney''s eastern beaches.

Izumi, Ren and little Yoshi are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the famous poet Bashō in their village. It is 17th century Japan and the poet is walking far to the north, writing his now world-famous haiku. Libby Hathorn’s endearing story describes their encounter with Bashō. Sadami Konchi’s sensitive paintings light up the story with a grace and beauty to ably match the text.

Illustrated children''s book about a mysterious talking cat invites children through the grand doors of the State Library of NSW. It''s the Est Cat who wants to show them the biggest, the smallest, the strangest, rarest, the gluggiest! They see secret places, are followed by ghosts, examine fabulous treasures and finally learn the Est Cat''s fantastic secret.

A story of a young boy''s adventures working as a paperboy on the busy trams, travelling to Bondi Beach. Keiran wants nothing more than to be a paperboy on the busy trams, to Bondi Beach. What he discovers along the way, through daring and friendship, is a deep love of the trams themselves. Rattle and hurtle with Keiran on the tram to Australia''s most iconic beach as he chases his dreams. Written and illustrated by the award-winning and highly regarded creators, Libby Hathorn and Julie Vivas, this gorgeous anniversary edition is a nostalgic necessity for any bookshelf.

Join this charming family of bears as they sing and chuckle and snuggle their way through a sunny afternoon. They delight in each other''s company and they delight in the myriad ways a baby can bring joy to everyday life.

This is a story about iconic Australian writer Stella Miles Franklin, namesake of two major literary prizes, during her brief but formative time as a governess in rural New South Wales. Teenager Stella Miles Franklin has to work to help support her family. Stella is unhappy in her job and longs for the freedom and excitement of city life. While working, she meets a young orphan girl, Imp, who is almost as feisty as Stella herself, and who spurs the older girl to follow her dreams. Inspired by events in Miles Franklin''s life, Miss Franklin is told by multi-award-winning author Libby Hathorn and acclaimed illustrator Phil Lesnie, and includes a facts page about Stella Miles Franklin. Shortlisted for the Society of Women Writers NSW 2020 Members'' Book Award.

Little Georgie is the youngest and this sometimes means Max and Harriet forget about her. But Georgie is unfazed. She''s armed with a big imagination.

Come explore your backyard. Who knows what you''ll find? A butterfly, a frog, a bird . . . maybe even a dinosaur! A sweet and gentle story that feels as warm as a garden bathed in sunlight, from award-winning author Libby Hathorn and acclaimed illustrator Lisa Stewart.

Selected as a CBCA (Children''s Book Council of Australia) Notable Picture Book of the Year 2017 From award-winning Australian author Libby Hathorn and acclaimed illustrator Phil Lesnie, an exquisitely illustrated and deeply moving story of the Somme. A moving story, told completely in dialogue, about a young Australian soldier in the battle of the Somme. Walking through the fields away from the front, he finds what he thinks is a stray dog, and decides to adopt it as a mascot for his company. Then he meets Jacques, the homeless orphan boy who owns the dog. The soldier realises that Jacques needs the dog more - and perhaps needs his help as well. With stunning illustrations from Phil Lesnie, this is a deeply moving celebration of friendship in times of war, Perfect for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day. A SOLDIER, A DOG AND A BOY was inspired by Libby Hathorn''s months of research on her uncle, who survived Gallipoli but went on to fight at the Battle of the Somme and was killed there in 1917 at just twenty years old.

A compelling story of a young man''s struggle to find his true calling set alongside a heart-breaking account of Vincent van Gogh''s last years. Is there a moment, Bernard wondered, when your life changes forever? The room fairly sang to him... It sang colours such as he''d never seen before. It sang freedom, madness, joy! And the future was clear and certain. Bernard is an aspiring but alienated young artist living in the French city of Arles. He finds himself in conflict with his teacher who disapproves of his painting style, his contemporaries who are suspicious of him, and most of his family who do not understand. Only Bijou, his beloved grandmother, appreciates his originality and sensitivity. However, Bernard''s life changes irrevocably when he meets the great Vincent van Gogh, and his real struggles - and perhaps his real life - begin. ''THE PAINTER is full of emotion and detail and is a very enjoyable read. ... this book will inspire you.'' - ABC''s The Rap Celebrating 25 years of Libby Hathorn, acclaimed author of the Australian young adult classic THUNDERWITH. ''A powerful novel about hope and the human spirit''s ability to finally win through.'' - COURIER MAIL, Brisbane on THUNDERWITH

Can Robbie survive alone on the streets? Robbie, homeless, caught up in a crime he wants no part of... Iris, an old lady he mugs in a city park... Their chance meeting brings about an unlikely friendship which offers both a new future. But can life really change for the better? Winner of Society of Women Writers NSW Award for Novel 1995 and the Australian Violence Prevention Certificate Award 1995, and shortlisted for the Human Rights Award 1995. ''Eventful and well-paced'' - THE CHILDREN''S BOOK MAGAZINE ONLINE ''This is a most powerful novel. Libby Hathorn has created a haunting picture of vulnerable and troubled youth... Highly recommended.'' - READING TIME Celebrating 25 years of Libby Hathorn, acclaimed author of the Australian young adult classic THUNDERWITH.

A powerful verse novel from one of Australia''s favourite authors. Alone and grieving, Alexander feels ready to erupt. Can he find his way back to hope? ''A real volcano boy,'' his mother had called him. Placed in the custody of his puritanical but well-meaning Uncle Frank, Alexander moves from Brisbane to volcano-circled Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. There the dark powers of the rumbling volcano call to him as irresistibly as the dark eyes of Alice, his newfound love. Alexander records his experiences in a moving, candid journal that surfaces many years after the volcano''s fury has settled to ash. ''VOLCANO BOY is beautifully written, and Hathorn is a beautiful writer.'' - LITERATURE CAFE Celebrating 25 years of Libby Hathorn, acclaimed author of the Australian young adult classic THUNDERWITH. ''Hathorn deftly injects a sense of wonderment into this intense, very real story. Readers cannot help but be swept up on the action and emotion.'' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on THUNDERWITH

Painstakingly researched and extremely well written, this is a novel that moves deftly and easily from one time period to another and yet still allows the novel to retain an overall sense of cohesion. Shooting stars, kisses, grenades and the lumbering tanks. And the shrieking skies and the shaking comrades: ''Up and over, lads!'' And I know it is time again to go into madness. It is 1915 and eighteen-year-old Maurice Roche is serving in the Great War. A century later, Maurice''s great-great nephew, eighteen-year-old Oliver, is fighting his own war -- against himself. When Oliver is given Maurice''s war diary, he has little interest in its contents -- except for Maurice''s sketches throughout, which are intriguing to Oliver who is also a talented artist. As he reads more of the diary though, Oliver discovers that, despite living in different times, there are other similarities between them: doubts, heartbreak, loyalty, and the courage to face the darkest of times. From award-winning children''s and YA author Libby Hathorn comes a moving, timely and very personal book examining the nature of valour, the power of family and the endurance of love. This is a story we should never forget. Ages: 14+

Rhythmic and soothing text takes you through a typical family day. This story celebrates the joy of family and domestic bliss. The perfect gift for any child who experiences a new sibling joining the family unit.

Like the garden it portrays, Outside is a Baroque wonderland waiting to be explored, a shimmery place of texture, luminosity, and color, where time stands still and memories are born. Two internationally acclaimed creators--author Libby Hathorn and artist Ritva Voutila--have coupled their dazzling imaginative powers to capture the wonder of childhood in this homage to the magic of a garden. Outside is a dazzling wonderland waiting to be explored. It takes the reader on a lyrical, magical journey which captures the sense of wonder that children feel while discovering the simple beauty of the outside world around them.

A beautiful book about peace and the places we can find it.Ages: 6+ ''Peace can be foundand touched and heard.I know I''ll always find you,brave and welcome bird ...''Fragile and sometimes fleeting, peace can be sought and found in all of us. A BOY LIKE ME is a beautiful and inspiring story about finding peace no matter who, or where, we are.Libby Hathorn is the celebrated author of more than fifty children''s books, some of which have been translated, as well as adapted for opera, stage and screen. Bruce Whatley is one of Australia''s best-loved and most talented children''s book illustrators. Both Libby and Bruce have won numerous awards for their work.Ages:6+

Edith''s family has hit hard times - her father''s gone, her two brothers have been sent to a home for boys, and it''s just Edith, her mother and Blackie. When her mother tells her to burn the house down to collect the insurance, Edith has to make her own decisions and fight for what she believes in.Fire Song was commended in the Society of Women Writers of NSW bi-annual awards and was also highly commended in the Prime Minister''s Literary Awards for 2010.

Princess Diana saved my life.My name is Diana Moore and I''m the kind of girl who doesn''t stand out in the crowd. Average height. Average brown hair. the only thing not average about me is that I seem to land in trouble on a regular basis. My Mum died suddenly over a year ago. She left me with a stepfather who is a loser and his loudmouth son, Marcus. If it weren''t for Babs and my letters to Princess Diana, I''d be crazy by now.On the tenth anniversary of Princess Diana''s death comes this powerful novel about the power of celebrity, and growing up the hard way.Letters to a Princess was commended in the Society of Women Writers of NSW bi-annual awards.

A child discovers the smell, sound, excitement and magic of reading books. Suggested level: junior.

A gentle, celebratory tale set in Ancient Babylon about a young girl''s journey to present Queen Amyritis with a new plant for the magical Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It is accompanied by evocative and detailed illustrations that capture the wonders of the journey and the young girl''s feelings of hope and awe. Ages 8-11 years.

A mixture of fact and fiction, this novel tells the story of a young pioneer woman, Georgiana Molloy, and her family as they settle in to the alien bushland of Augusta, Western Australia from England, on their promised land grant. Threaded through the pioneering adventures is the (imagined) story of young Will Summerfield and his sister Charlotte, the children of a hopeful yet weak mother who has married a violent stepfather, Thomas, a man keen to take up land grants in the New World at whatever cost to his wife and stepchildren. At 23 years of age Georgiana has married retired military man Captain Jack Molloy, undertaking the five-month journey on a small sailing ship, the Warrior, crammed with other settlers, their farming animals and faming tools and their hopes of making their fortunes in Australia. Fortune does not smile on young Georgiana at first, when she gives birth to her first baby girl, camping on the beach, nine days after landing. Will finds himself drawn to this gentle and friendly woman, who more than once has shown him kindness on the ship voyage out. Gradually, Georgiana, always curious, begins to see the unique beauty in this harsh new land and, for relief from her arduous life, turns to botanising: observing and identifying the beautiful indigenous flowers that bloom in spring. A letter from a Captain Mangles, a wealthy English collector and botanist, seeking knowledge of the wildflowers of Australia, sets her into a frenzy of activity only two months after the death of baby John. She is remarkable in her collecting and her passion for the flowers, exciting the whole household about the importance of the work, lifting all of them out of the terrible loss they are bearing. It is at this time that Will discovers a terrible secret about his stepfather. Georgiana is a captivating story about the extraordinary life of this brave pioneering woman, whose passion for the small, bountiful flowers of the West led to their proliferation round the globe.

Fiddle, Cat, Little Dog, the Dish and the Spoon and Jess flew over the moon to find the Cow. Following the great map painted on stone, the freinds discover a new land in thier search for her.

So many animals have great big questions to ask. But who can give them a great big answer? This story is based on the tale of Noah''s Ark, and features themes of tolerance and acceptance.

Weirdstop contains interactive games and puzzles to enhance the learning outcomes of a literacy curriculum - all designed to encourage readers in the 10 - 14 age range.

When Tran''s mother goes far away to Vietnam, his grandmother shows him something very special - a wishing cupboard. To cheer him up she shares her past wishes and lets him make one of his own. Behind the two big doors were more doors. Tiny inlaid ones that opened outward. Pale, shiny ones that could roll up like louvres. Burnished gold ones that moved sideways on metal grooves. There were drawers too, of all shapes and sizes. And little alcoves, spaces with no doors, that were dark and inviting.

An Australian version of the Chinese legend of the Willow Pattern Plate.